Bookkeeping device



1954 A. J. BICKEL BOOKKEEPING DEVICE b i m fi Arm a2" t; Ma m a M m H B Filed June 16, 1951 Jan. 12, 1954 A. J. BICKEL 2,665,

BOOKKEEPING DEVICE Filed June 16, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet; z

Patented Jan. 12, 1954 l'lED STATES PATENT QFFECE;

7 Claims. (Cl. 282-,29)

This invention relates to a bookkeeping device and more particularly to a device for holding a plurality of accounting forms in superimposed relation with carbons therebetween so that an entry is recorded on all of the forms from a single entry on the uppermost.

The device of the present invention includes a posting board on which accounting forms may be placed. A clamping assembly is disposed at one side of the posting board and includes a plurality of fingers pivoted on a common axis and movable toward the board to clamp the forms thereto. Alternate ones of the fingers clamp the lowermost accounting form to the board and act as guides for the placement of the next higher form. The remaining fingers extend past the said alternate fingers and are actuatable to clamp the said next higher form to the lowermost form and the board after the alternate fingers have been actuated to form-clamping positions.

Spring means engage the fingers and urge them out of form-clamping positions. To actuate the fingers, a plate is guided for rectilinear movement parallel to the form-receiving surface of the board and normal to the pivotal axis of the fingers. The plate has means thereon cammingly engageable with the fingers and located that, in movement of the plate in a finger actuating direction, the above-mentioned alternate fingers are first actuated, after which the remaining fingers are actuated. Thus, the lowermost form may be placed on the board and clamped in position, and then the next higher form may be placed on top of the lowermost form in desired position and then clamped in position.

To actuate the plate, a manually operable lever is connected to eccentrically mounted disks which are disposed in openings in the plate, the disks being rotatable to cam the plate into and out of finger actuating positions.

The fingers are preferably made of a transparent resilient plastic material so that indicia will be visible therethrough and so that a firm engagement of the forms by each finger will re.- sult. It will be apparent that the use of a plurality of fingers, each firmly clamping the forms, results in a secure relative positioning .of the forms on the board.

An object of this invention, accordingly, is to provide a bookkeeping device which is readily operable to securely hold accounting forms in a desired superimposed relation.

Another object of this invention is to ,plQvide a bookkeeping device with form-clamping fin- 2 gers of transparent resilient plastic material enabling clear visibility of indicia on the forms and secure clamping of the forms in position.

A further object of this invention is to provide an efiicient accounting form-holding device which is easily and economically manufacturable, durable and reliable.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment and in which:

Figure 1 is a to plan view of a bookkeeping device constructed according to this invention with the actuating lever and fingers in formclamping positions; I

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the bookkeeping device of Figure 1 with the cover plate removed and with the actuating lever and fingers out of formeclamping positions;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along lines III-I11 of Figure 1 and showing the fingers in form-clamping positions;

Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to that of Figure 3 but with only one group of fingers in form-clamping positions, the other group being out of form-clamping positions;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along lines V'V of Figure 2 and illustrating the fingers out of formeclamping positions; and

Figure 6 is anunderneath view of a portion of the cover plate and illustrates the leaf springs used to urge the fingers out of form-clamping positions.

Referring to Figure 1, reference numral Ill dsignates a posting board which provides a plane surface on which a plurality of accounting forms H, 12 and I3 may be disposed in superimposed relation.

A set of small plates or fingers M are movable toward the board Ill to clamp the form I I thereto and to act as edge-guides for the forms 12 posed between and extend past the fingers 14 in staggered relationship thereto.

The fingers l4 and I5 are preferably of a transparent resilient plastic material so that inlicia will be visible therethrough and so that each one will firmly clamp the forms to the board.

A cover plate I6 is mounted above and conceals the actuating mechanism for the fingers. If desired, a guide bar I! may be afiixed along one edge of the cover-plate l6 and an indicating finger or straight edge [8 reciprocably mounted on the guide bar to aid in aligning indicia on a card or the like (not shown) placed on the cover plate. This is useful when the device is used in making a pay roll summary, for example, the with-holding tax and other data being then on the cover-plate card and conveniently accessible.

Referring now to Figure 2, which shows the device with the cover-plate l6 removed, the fingers l4 and 15 are pivotally mounted on the board I!) by means of a rod or shaft 20. The shaft 20 extends through spaced apertured lugs or ears 2| welded or otherwise secured to the board It. The ears 2| act as spacers between fingers and, if desired, additional spacers 22, in the form of washers, may be disposed on the shaft 26. It will be noted (Figures 3 to that the fingers l4 and [5 are centrally deformed so as to prevent movement thereof transverse to the shaft 20.

As shown in Figures 3 to 6, a plurality of spring fingers 24 are afiixed to the lower surface of the cover-plate IS in spaced relationship corresponding to the spacing of the form-clamping fingers I 4 and I5 so that, when the cover-plate is mounted in position, the spring fingers 24 will resiliently urge the form-clamping fingers l4 and I5 out of clamping positions.

To actuate the fingers l4 and I5, a plate 25 is mounted on the board ill to the left of and underneath the left-hand ends of the fingers l4 and [5. The plate 25 is guided for rectilinear movement normal to the shaft 20 by means of end guides 26 and 21 secured to the board It].

A plurality of aligned upstanding members 28, individual to the fingers l4 and I5, are welded or formed on the plate 25, each member 28 having an inclined edge surface cammingly engageable with the end of the corresponding finger [4 or 5, as best seen in Figures 3, 4 and 5. The members 28 may be individual to the fingers, as shown, or, if desired, may be formed into a continuous ridge on the plate 25.

It will be noted that the left-hand ends of the r fingers l4 extend past the left-hand ends of the fingers l5. When the plate 25 is in the position illustrated in Figure 3, the members 28 will be underneath both sets of fingers I4 and I5 and all fingers will be in form-clamping positions. When the plate 25 is moved to the left to the position illustrated in Figure 4, the members 28 will be moved out from under the fingers l5, and the fingers will be moved by the springs 24 out of form-clamping positions.

Further movement of the plate 25 to the left to the position of Figures 2 and 5 will move the members 28 out from under the fingers It so that the fingers M will be spring-actuated out of form-clamping positions.

Conversely, with movement of the plate 25 to the right from the position of Figures 2 and 5 to the position of Figure 4, the fingers M will be cammed by the members 28 into form-clamping positions. With further movement to the right to the position of Figure 3, the members 28 will cam the fingers l5 into form-clamping positions.

The actuating mechanism for the plate 25 preferably includes three disks 30, 31 and 32 eccentrically mounted on pins 33, 34 and 35, respectively, and disposed in spaced oblong openings 36, 31 and 38, respectively, in the plate 25. Each of the disks 33, 34 and 35 is pivotally secured to a bar and a manually-actuatable lever M is secured to the center "disk 3| so that movement of the lever will rotate all three disks about the eccentric axes thereof to {cam'the plate 25 to the right or left.

In summary, it will be seen that this invention provides an economically manufacturable, durable and reliable device which is readily operable and securely holds accounting forms in desired superimposed relation.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A bookkeeping device for holding a plurality of accounting forms in superimposed relation, comprising: means defining a form-receiving plane surface, a plurality of fingers extending over one side of said surface and pivoted about a common axis, alternate ones of said fingers being pivoted to clamp one of said forms to said surface and to provide an edge-guide for another of said forms, and the remaining of said fingers being pivotal to clamp said another and said one of said forms to said surface in superimposed relation, and a transversely movable member having means thereon cammingly engageable with said fingers to pivot the same into formclamping positions.

2. A bookkeeping device for holding a plurality of accounting forms in superimposed relation, comprising: means defining a form-receiving plane surface, a first plate extending over one side of said surface and pivotal to clamp one of said forms thereto and to act as an edge-quick guide for another of said forms, a second plate extending over said one side of said surface and pivotal to clamp said another and said one of said forms to said surface in superimposed relation, means biasing said plates out of formclamping positions, and a transversely movable member having means thereon cammingly engageable with said plates to pivot the same into form-clamping positions.

3. A bookkeeping device for holding a plurality of accounting forms in superimposed relation, comprising: means defining a form-receiving plane surface, a plurality of transparent resilient plastic fingers extending over a side portion of said surface and pivotal about a common axis into form-clamping positions, means biasing said fingers out of said form-clamping positions, and a movable member having means thereon cammingly engageable with said fingers to pivot the same into said form-clamping positions.

4. In an accounting-form holding device including means defining a form-receiving plane surface and a plurality of fingers extending over a side portion of said surface and movable into form-clamping positions, finger-actuating means comprising: a plate guided for rectilinear movement parallel to said surface and normal to said side portion thereof, means on said plate cam:- mingly engageable with said fingers to actuate the same to form-clamping positions, said plate having a plurality of openings therethrough, an eccentrically mounted disk disposed in each of said openings, link means connecting said disks, and lever means for actuating the same.

5. In an accounting-form holding device including means defining a form-receiving plane surface and a plurality of fingers extending over a side portion of said surface and movable into form-clamping positions, finger-actuating means comprising: a rectilinearly movable plate having means thereon camming-ly engageable with said fingers to actuate the same to form-clamping positions, cam means for actuating said plate, and a manually operable lever for operating said cam means.

6. A bookkeeping device for holding a plurality of accounting forms in superimposed relation, comprising: means defining a form-receiving planesurface, a plurality of resilient fingers extending over a side portion of said surface and pivotal about a common axis to move the extremities thereof toward said plane surface into form-clamping positions, means biasing said fingers out of said form-clamping positions, and a movable member acting on portions of said fingers spaced from said extremities thereof and arranged for simultaneously pivoting all of said fingers into said form-clamping positions.

7. A bookkeeping device for holding a plurality of accounting forms in superimposed relation,

comprising: means defining a form-receiving plane surface, a first grou of separate aligned fingers extending over a side portion of said surface and having extremities movable toward said surface to engage and clamp one of said forms thereto and to provide an edge-guide for another of said forms, and a second group of separate aligned fingers extending over said side portion of said form-receiving surface and having extremities movable towards said surface to engage and clamp said another and said one of said forms to said surface in superimposed relation, and means for simultaneously moving all fingers of each group into form-clamping positions including a member acting on portions of said fingers spaced from said extremities thereof.

ARTHUR J. BICKEL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 963,556 Hill July 5, 1910 2,549,956 Bickel Apr. 24, 1951 

